Vengeance for Blood
by Metatron-1337
Summary: The Avengers have a new member among their ranks. Hel, named after the goddess of winter and death, is everything her name suggests. And even Loki feels her effect... StevexOC, LokixOC
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avengers or any of the characters therein. **

It was quiet.

Hel glanced around the corner, grinning and concentrating on the air. The night was getting cooler by the second and Hel knew her powers were manifesting. _Time to hunt_, she thought excitedly.

Lunging around the corner, she sprinted through the night, her feet barely touching the ground. It had been 6 years since the cravings had set in, and Hel had learned to control herself – and cover her tracks, frighteningly well. It was a matter of the story. She needed to create a good story to satisfy the cops.

There were times when she used to question her nature. Why she was the way she was. She grew up with human parents in a human household, eating human food, going to school with humans. Of course, she wasn't much liked by other humans once puberty hit. She developed early – and more striking than the physical developments was her mental cognition. She started to speed through course material and found herself finishing high school at 15. She had turned 20 this year, and was awarded her double doctorate two months before her birthday. Being 16 and sitting in university lectures had not played a good card for her ability to make friends. Hel's best friend was her golden retriever whom she had named Thor – it was a pun, because he shared the demi-god's golden hair and thunderous voice, and she herself had the name of a Norse goddess.

That fact in and of itself had gotten to her. Her real parents, whoever they were, had named her after the Norse goddess of winter and death. Had they known she would become a deliverer of murder?

Hel didn't know anything about her real parentage. That was, perhaps, the reason for her bitterness. They had abandoned her, rejected her. Allowed her to be ignorant for most of her life. She was still unsure about her actual nature – what her abilities meant, and why she had them. More than anything, she was alone. And she felt absolutely, terrifyingly evil. Beyond help.

Hel heard footsteps and froze. A slow, hungry smile began to play at her lips, and her fangs protruded. Then she was gone from that spot and she was holding a horrified man up against the wall.

_Oh god, what is she doing? She moved so fast... didn't even hear her… her teeth… oh please no… is this the Angel of Death? Punishing me for my sins? _

Hel saw the slideshow of images in his mind, all the women and girls he'd forced himself on and she was repulsed. His blood smelled contaminated to her all of a sudden. But her stomach clenched and her veins screamed. She stared into his tired grey eyes and began speaking in a charming voice dripping seduction – the voice of glamour. "Justin, my name is Hel. I'm a friend. I'm going to help you. Everything is going to be okay."

The man nodded. He did not seem fazed by the fact that she knew his name. His eyes had glazed over and he relaxed in her arms.

She sank her fangs into his jugular and drank.

She coated the holes with her saliva and watched as they healed. Then she tossed his body off the bridge, wiped her hands on her jeans, and strolled down to the beach.

She wouldn't feel the need for at least two days. A full body's supply assured that.

Sighing, she sat down in the white sand a few feet away from where the foamy waves were stroking the shore, like a lover reassuring his distressed mistress.

If she had been any regular human being, she wouldn't have heard the footsteps, but she did and her head snapped up.

A man was standing about 500 metres down the beach. Wearing a black trench coat and an eye patch.

Hel's eyes widened a fraction. _Oh shit. Why is Fury here? I've stayed under the radar. S.H.I.E.L.D. shouldn't have a problem with me. _

She considered running. There was no way he'd be able to catch her if she ran, but she didn't really enjoy the concept of having to spend her life running.

"Don't run," his voice called.

_I guess he noticed my fidgeting_, Hel mused. She shrugged slightly and crossed her arms, getting to her feet and staring out at the waves.

"What do you want?" she called back, her voice calm and collected despite the floundering chaos inside her.

"Just to talk," he replied. She saw his figure out of the corner of her eye making its way down the beach to her.

Hel raised a skeptical eyebrow.

Feeling the chill of the night now, she wished she'd worn something more practical than the skimpy blue tank top. She brought her hands together and closed her eyes. Bringing forth the fire, she opened her eyes and saw the flames licking at her bare arms, as if coming out of her pores. She pointed a finger in front of her and lit the stack of dry wood someone had left there, presumably a potential campfire. It lit nicely, and Hel crouched down to warm her hands.

"Impressive," Nick Fury stated, now standing a few feet away from her.

Hel shrugged. There were not many people she would show her elementals to. Knowing Fury, he already had an entire folder dedicated to exploring every ability and disability she had, though, including a few she probably didn't even know about herself.

"Are you here to kill me? Is that what 'talk' is code for now?" Hel asked, only half-joking.

Fury smiled bitterly. "I'm here to offer you a job."

Hel blinked incredulously. Then she giggled. "A job?"

Fury stared at her, no sign of a prank on his features. "A position at S.H.I.E.L.D., yes."

Hel stared back, hopelessly lost. "But why?"

Fury smiled at her confusion, and crossed his arms. "You do have a double doctorate, correct? Criminal psychology and chemical forensics?"

Hel snorted. "Since when does S.H.I.E.L.D. recruit based on scholastic achievements?"

Fury sighed. "You were number 1 in your class of graduates, yet you turned down being valedictorian upon graduation. Number 1… while you were as much as 6 years younger than your average peer."

Hel shrugged. There wasn't anything to say about that. She liked information. People – not so much.

"And then there's your … power."

He'd said it, finally. Hel smiled at him across the fire, a smile to chill the goddess of winter herself.

"Power? That's what you call it?" she asked, a curious tone to her voice.

"I know who your parents are," he said, not taking his eyes off her.

Hel's smile froze and she trembled. Swallowing, she tried to look anywhere but at the man sitting near her. Her fingers played with her long hair – the color at the tips matched the flames in front of her; at the top of her roots, her hair was dark mahogany, slowly fading to blood red, which was the main color, and ending with a burnt golden colour.

"There are others, others who do not fit in. They have been burdened with gifts just like yours."

"I always thought of it as more of a curse," Hel joked weakly.

"We'll see," Fury said with a note of determination in his voice.

"But I'm not good, Fury," Hel replied, not wanting to give in. She felt herself crashing, wanting to lean into what he was saying, wanting to believe that she could be _good_.

"We'll see about that, too," Nick Fury replied. "And that's Director Fury to you, Agent," he added with a smile.

_Agent_, Hel thought. _Wow. _And slowly she smiled back.


	2. Chapter 2

And that was how she ended up here, on this giant ship surrounded by agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. whom she had never seen in her life.

Sitting on her bed in the relatively nice room she'd been assigned, Hel browsed through the clothes she'd brought with her. She had never kept much, and now she realized the scarcity of her wardrobe.

She shrugged. She would probably get some uniform anyway.

Resigning herself to her usual standard of dressing, Hel pulled on a pair of black jeans and a red top. After putting the shirt on, she realized her boobs had gotten bigger – how was that _possible_? They were already _generous_ to say the least. The V-neck of the shirt now showed a rounded cleavage. Growling at this fact, Hel pulled on her black leather jacket to distract attention at least a little from her chest.

She twirled in the full-length mirror on the wall, regarding herself from every angle. Her strange violet eyes regarded her in the reflection, the weird shade a result of the tinted blue contacts over red irises. She definitely was not going to blend in with those skinny female agents. _No size 2 leather suits here_, Hel mused.

Sighing, she stepped to walk out of the door and smacked right into a hard body. _Great, I'm so distracted that I didn't even notice another person there. I usually notice everything. I'm losing my damn mind_, she thought bitterly, massaging her arm where she'd landed on it.

"I apologize. The fault was mine entirely," a deep booming voice spoke.

Hel froze.

_Oh God. _

She looked up, into Thor's cerulean eyes. His huge hand was outstretched to help her up.

Mentally incoherent, Hel put her hand in his gingerly and allowed him to hoist her to her feet.

Suddenly self-conscious, she tugged on her high ponytail with her uninjured arm, running her fingers through the ends of her hair hanging near the end of her spine.

"No, it was completely my fault. I accept full responsibility for my poor coordination, m'Lord," she said, eyes shining, more excited than she'd been in years. And more embarrassed.

_Oh God, I finally get to meet a real life demi-god and I fall all over him like a clumsy idiot_, she thought.

Thor looked pleased. "You are well-worded, madam. My faith in humanity seems well-deserved."

Hel grimaced. "Well, actually…"

"Oh, Hel's not human, Thor," a voice called from behind them. Hel glanced over her shoulder and saw the infamous Tony Stark.

"I guess they let any old trash into S.H.I.E.L.D. nowadays," Hel mumbled under her breath.

"Hel?" Thor asked, looking stunned. "You are named Hel?"

"Like the big burning pit of torture below the Earth for those of us who enjoy the less decent pleasures in life?" Stark interjected cockily.

Hel turned to him with a stony smile and answered sweetly, "I can take you there, if you'd like. You are _always_ invited _there_, Mr. Stark."

Tony winced ceremoniously. "My reputation precedes me."

"If you were really _that_ upset over it, you would attempt to change your reputation. And yet somehow I think reputation is not the right word for it… oh yes, your _personality_ precedes you," Hel snapped. "You're an arrogant jerk."

Thor and Stark looked stunned by this outburst. Hel turned on her heel and stomped away.

_I really need to control my opinions and emotions better_, Hel thought desperately. Sighing, she walked out onto the control room. Fury was there with his assistant, as well as a tall, muscular blond man who looked familiar.

_You've got to be kidding me_.

"Agent Batya," Fury called to her.

Hel pointed at herself. "Me? My name is Batya?"

Fury made an impatient sound. "That is your real last name."

Hel felt goose bumps rise on her arms even through her jacket. Another piece of her past.

"Yessir," she replied, only half-mocking. She waltzed over to him and stood at attention.

"Captain," Fury called to the tall blond man. He walked over to join them.

Hel stared at him as he extended his large hand. "Captain Steve Rogers, ma'am."

"Hel Batya," she replied, a little shell-shocked, and allowed him to shake her hand.

"You've got one hell of a grip, miss," he told her, winking.

"Ha, ha," she replied, rolling her eyes, but grinning back.

They held each other's eyes for a minute longer than necessary, and finally Hel broke the stare, blushing to the roots of her hair. _Interesting_, something whispered in the back of her mind.

Half an hour later, Hel was sitting at a rounded conference table with Steve, Tony, Thor, and three others she had not yet gotten acquainted with.

Fury was at the head of the table, and he pointed out each of the other members of this squadron.

"That's Agent Barton, aka Hawkeye."

Hel grinned and waved back when the attractive man waved at her casually.

"Next to him is our very own Agent Romanov, aka Black Widow."

Natasha Romanov smiled at Hel and Hel couldn't help blurting out, "You're the most beautiful human being on the planet."

Everyone at the table stared at her for a moment before bursting into laughter. Hel blushed.

Natasha giggled and said, "Thank you, Hel."

Fury rolled his eyes and pointed out the last individual, a slouching, tanned man with greying hair which Hel could tell was premature.

"Dr. Banner," Hel stated for Fury. Banner looked at her, appraising her.

"I love your work," she clarified, just in case he was thinking she only knew him as a giant green destruction-wielding monster.

"Thanks," he said sheepishly.

"Yeah, let's not address the elephant in the room. Or should I say, the Hulk in the room," Stark interjected.

Hel glared at him. "Mr. Stark, do you know what the word 'quiet' means? Because it's not like you can blame your verbal diarrhea on stupidity, considering your intelligence quotient."

Everyone stared at her.

Stark laughed. "This kid is gonna be my apprentice. I haven't seen fire like this since, well, since fire."

"I would rather chew my own limbs off," Hel replied coolly, crossing her arms.

Captain Rogers cleared his throat, breaking the tension across the table. "So… everyone knows what we all do. Why are you here, Agent Batya?"

Hel bit her lip. "I have a double doctorate."

Barton snorted. "That is not what he meant and you know it, little lady."

Hel looked at Fury, begging him with her eyes. He nodded.

_You have to show them, Hel. They have to trust you_.

After hearing this in Fury's head, Hel sighed and resigned herself.


	3. Chapter 3

"Mr. Stark, I don't appreciate you thinking about Miss Potts' ass while in a business meeting," Hel started.

Tony looked thoroughly shocked. "I was _not_."

_I can read your minds_, Hel planted in each of their minds.

"Fuck me," Tony whispered. "That's awesome."

"I don't do it all the time, otherwise I would go fucking crazy from all the insane shit people think about," Hel clarified, forgetting to use sophisticated language. "But when I need to know something, it's handy."

She got up and sprinted to the other end of the room.

Unseen to the human eye, the others only saw a blur and then she was standing behind Thor.

"What the hell?" Hawkeye exclaimed.

Hel peeled her jacket off of her arms and dropped it on the floor, pulling out her contacts at the same time. She closed her eyes and willed her body to produce the elements. Her arms lit on fire and her hair turned into flames. She opened her eyes, and they glowed red.

There was not a single jaw that was not dropping.

She extinguished herself and pulled her jacket back on, casually strolling back to her chair and sat.

"Questions?" she asked, assuming that her abilities were open to discussion.

Dr. Banner jumped in first. "This seems to be all advantageous. What's the downside?"

Hel sighed. She knew that would be the first question. "I'm not alive," she answered.

Everyone continued to stare at her. "I mean, not fully," she clarified. "I need energy to sustain my body."

She presented her fangs and Stark snorted. "Do you sparkle in the sun, too?"

She smiled sweetly and replied, "Only when I crush a diamond with my bare hands."

"Are you able to probe into the mind of a god such as myself?" Thor asked, leaning on the table on his forearms.

"Yes," she replied promptly.

The rest of the team glanced at each other.

"She could talk to Loki," Steve suggested.

"You know, not a half bad idea," Stark said, sounding falsely shocked.

"Wait, what?" Hel exclaimed. "Loki is here? I thought you took him back to Asgard!" she said to Thor.

"I did," he replied grimly. "He escaped and we tracked him down on the other side of the Pacific Ocean."

Fury addressed her now, "He's up to something. We need to know what."

Hel tapped her black fingernails on the table top. Finally, she said, "I'll do it."

Hawkeye, who was sitting closest to her, clapped her on the back. "Good on ya, girl."

Loki was pacing in his cell.

"Okay, first of all, can you dress him in something a little more human?" Hel called to Fury, who was standing in the control centre above them.

Loki whirled to face her, a malicious smile at his lips. "They send a human child to deal with me?"

"She is of Asgardian descent," Fury's voice sounded.

Hel froze in place. _What?_

Loki stared at her through the glass, his facial expression one of disbelief.

"What is your name?" he questioned her.

"Hel," she replied, still reeling inside.

His eyes widened a fraction of an inch.

She grinned her razor smile, fangs extended. "I am Hel. And you are Loki, the trickster. It really is too bad you cannot cheat death."

"You are an abomination!" Lori roared. "A draugr mating with an Asgardian? This is unheard of! Your parents created a mutation!"

Hel reared back, stunned by this emotional blow.

"Her father was an elemental… like yours, Loki," Fury said over the P.A.

Loki regarded Hel with a pity unlike anything she had ever seen before.

The pain in his icy eyes was heartbreaking. Hel pressed the open-door button and flew inside, shutting it tightly behind her. Loki's lunge at the exit was too slow, and he ended up pressing Hel against the glass, his arms on either side of her head, their chests heaving, pushed together.

Hel slowly raised her violet eyes to meet his turquoise ones, and her breath caught in her throat. He was staring at her with a fascination, running his gloved hands up her arms, leaving trails of an icy fire.

"Loki…" she breathed, seduction in her tone, glamour in her eyes. She ran her hands up his chest, wrapping her arms around his neck, and although she could not easily glamour him like a human, he was still very attracted to her. His fingers fisted in her fiery hair and he brought his mouth down on hers.

And she began to suck his life force.

_What… such a beautiful creature… what is she doing… I feel fatigued… draining… force… Chiataru are waiting… deliver… the prophecy…_

Hel pulled away, licking her lips seductively, a glint in her eyes. Loki stared at her.

"What have you done, draugr?" he demanded, stepping away from her.

"Just tasted you," she replied sweetly. "Although I would have preferred to taste you in a different way," she added in a breathy heated voice, biting her lip for emphasis.

His eyes darkened and he seemed to be fighting the urge to grab her. Dipping into his mind, she found that he was experiencing the very reaction she had wanted from him.

She smiled darkly and sped through the rapidly closing door of the cell, leaving a reeling, confused Loki behind.

Thor was shaking his head as she walked into the conference room.

"I have never even seen my brother take an interest in a woman, let alone someone who was not an Asgardian."

Hel shrugged.

Captain Rogers cleared his throat and she glanced at him. "That was … something."

She blushed. "It became necessary to survive," she explained.

Stark placed his hands over his heart. "Sweetheart, I was convinced to give up my life to sleep with you. That was intense."

Hel raised an eyebrow. "Stark, I might learn to tolerate you. Keep complimenting me."

He chuckled in response.

"Did you get what we needed?" Natasha asked, bringing attention back to what mattered.

"Oh, I got loads," Hel replied with an impish grin.


	4. Chapter 4

Hel strutted down the hallway, triumph and pure power soaring through her body, a sassy swing in her hips. _Time to get a drink_, she thought to herself, grinning. _But first… I think I'll change. _

In her room, Hel found one of her only two dresses and slipped it on. The black corset-top dress skimmed her skin like a lotion, tightening in all the right places and ending just above the knee. Finishing the ensemble with her 4 inch pumps, Hel let her hair down in flirty waves around her face and added some smoky eye make-up, the eyeliner somewhat thicker than her usual look. She kept her lips lightly glossed and with a toss of her flaming waves, she strode out the door of her room.

The click of her heels was the only sound bouncing off of the walls as Hel walked to the cafeteria – which also doubled as a bar at night, courtesy of Agent Sako, who was a trained bartender (who knew the technician behind the security system had a second job?).

Swaying with every step, oozing confidence, Hel walked right into the room, which was occupied by quite a number of people. The familiar faces of her fellow Avengers caught her eye, assembled at a table in the corner of the room.

"Sex on the Beach, please, Agent Sako," Hel called to him, winking when he glanced at her. He grinned wolfishly and set to work making her drink.

Hel made her way over to the table in the corner and stopped a foot from the empty seat. Rogers, Stark, Banner, Barton and Thor all looked up at her, and then did a double take.

"Sweet Jesus," Barton whistled.

"Is that a compliment, Agent Barton?" Hel teased, raising an eyebrow.

Captain Rogers cleared his throat. Hel looked in his direction. Well, didn't he look dashing in a leather jacket and dark wash jeans?

"You look…" he began, seemingly speechless. Finally he swallowed and said, "…lovely".

Stark roared with laughter. "Don't insult the girl, Rogers!"

Hel giggled. "No, really, thank you, Captain Rogers."

Stark rolled his eyes and gestured at Hel. "Look at her! She looks a lot better than _lovely_!"

Hel blushed beet red. "Careful, Stark, I might begin to enjoy your company."

Stark wiggled his eyebrows and said in a saucy tone, "Wouldn't that be delightful? With you looking like this, I don't believe I would mind spending some _quality_ time in your company, if you know what I mean."

Hel pretended to gag. "Trust me, I will live a content and overjoyed existence if that never happens."

Stark laughed good-naturedly.

Captain Rogers was frowning at the table, and Hel was about to ask him what the matter was, when Fury walked up and placed a hand on her shoulder blade.

"Well, I do believe someone dressed up tonight," he said with a chuckle.

"No one could accuse you of being that someone," Hel muttered, taking in his usual black trench coat.

Thor snorted. Hel beamed at him. "You understood my joke?"

Thor nodded, grinning back. "I am improving my understanding of human humour constantly. Yours seems to be more tasteful than most."

Hel glowed from this comment, and curtsied ceremoniously.

Thor clapped and bellowed, "That was magnificent! I did not know human women knew such things."

Hel winked. "I'm not all human, remember?"

Fury turned to her ear discreetly and whispered, "Loki was asking for your return for an audience."

Hel sighed.

"Sex on the Beach?" Agent Sako called.

Hel's face broke into a mischievous grin and she called, "Yes please! When and where?"

Captain America turned bright red and gaped at her. Tony Stark guffawed and clapped. Agent Barton whistled. Dr. Banner regarded her with a dark glint in his eye that made her slightly weak in the knees.

_Hmm, I guess I do enjoy male attention just a __**little**__, _Hel concluded, biting her lip as she smiled seductively at them.

Hel walked to the bar, making sure to keep the sway in her hips – she knew the guys would be watching. She picked her drink up and sipped; she nearly groaned with pleasure. It had been such a long time since she'd had a decent drink. "Agent Sako, your skills are impeccable. Seriously, I'm _thisclose_ to offering you actual sex on the beach," she said in a breathless voice, winking.

He just winked at her and shook his head, laughing.

Fury was at her heels. "Hel," he began again. She groaned. "Ugh, okay, I'm going," she snapped.

Tossing her drink down her throat in one go, Hel marched up to the men and said, "You. Stay. I'll be back and you had better still be here. I need to go deal with vermin."

Stark turned to Thor. "She's talking about your brother."

Thor winced and opened his mouth to defend Loki, but reconsidered when he saw the thunderous look Hel was giving him. "He is adopted," Thor contended.

Hel snorted and sashayed away, feeling five pairs of eyes on her ass. She rolled her eyes. _Men_.

**\**

She flew to Loki's cell – as in she sprinted, but her feet barely touched the ground.

She was standing outside the cell door, and then she was inside. Loki whirled around and chuckled.

"I should have known it was you, daughter of draugr," he conceded.

Hel raised her eyebrows and took a few steps to the right, crossing her arms, keeping her eyes trained on him.

"What do you want, Trickster?" she demanded. He regarded her with surprised eyes. She presented him with a half-smile and said, "I studied mythology. Which, apparently, should have been called the Daytime News."

Loki smiled at this. "You are quite intelligent," he started, "for someone who was raised among humans. Tell me, do you crave subjugation the way they do?"

Hel lowered her eyelids and formed a sensual, slightly open pout with her lips. "I crave a very different type of subjugation," she breathed, biting her lower lip, "… m'Lord," she added for the bonus touch.

Within a second, he was on her, slamming her against the glass wall, his heavy, hot breath against her neck, pinning her wrists on either side of her head.

"Damn you," he whispered, breath coming raggedly.

Hel traced his body with her eyes, trailing from his legs up to his face slowly. Usually she would do this as a technique of seduction, but… she felt oddly attracted to Loki. As if she actually did crave to be subjugated by him.

Watching her eyes trail over him, Loki stared at her full lips, wondering when she would finally answer and break his insane trance.

Instead, she breathed his name.

"_Loki_."

He kissed her.


	5. Chapter 5

Hel felt a little part of her whisper, _Tear his damn clothes off, Hel, and let him take you. _

But her rationality pulled through for her and she began sucking his life force again.

_They send her in here to spy for them… she learns nothing… we idly chat and then she looks at me with those eyes… oh those eyes… ravish her… must control myself…why do I feel so weak…its this woman… she has bewitched me… must focus on the prophecy… the Chiataru will be waiting to hear my report tomorrow… must escape before then… portal in Athens… _

Hel broke the kiss and met Loki's eyes, smiling subtly.

"I must leave you now," she whispered, knowing her eyes were giving off the hypnotism of glamour.

"No."

He only uttered one word, but she nearly stayed.

Swallowing her weakness, Hel turned on her heel and flew out the door, making sure it was air-sealed after her. She didn't need to be worried about him trying to escape; Loki remained standing in that same spot, staring at the place where she'd been.

"_What have you discovered?" Natasha asked Hel, prompting her to share with the group. _

"_He's searching for the Prophecy," Hel said, looking to Thor to see if he knew what this meant. _

_Thor appeared startled, lapsing into a grim silence. _

"'_scuse me? Mind explaining that for the humans?" Stark interjected, looking annoyed. _

_Hel rolled her eyes, but bit down a smile. "The Prophecy… the oracle – sort of like an ancient psychic – predicted that a half-breed would salvage the bonds of the realms and restore rule to them all, vanquishing all those who opposed him or her." _

_Rogers frowned. "It doesn't specify whether 'the One'," he made quotation marks with his fingers, "will be a man or a woman?" _

_Hel scowled. "Do I look like an ancient oracle? Do you think I wrote the dissertation on the damn prophecy or something?" _

_Rogers sputtered, and shut up. _

_Dr. Banner glanced around the table, and then at Hel. He cleared his throat and she looked to him, all ears. "So… he's looking for the Prophecy?" _

_Hel nodded._

"_So… the prophecy is a physical object?" Dr. Banner prompted. _

_Hel nodded rigorously. "It's usually in the shape of an orb of some sort. The orb holds an essence which can reveal the details of the prophecy, thereby making it more likely to come true. Loki clearly means to find the orb, which has been hidden on Earth – mostly because human beings, no offence, are much stupider than Asgardians or elementals, and therefore would not think an orb has any mystical properties." _

_Captain Rogers said, "Ahem," quietly, almost bashfully. Hel nodded at him to speak. _

"_So what can this orb do?" he asked, leaning forward._

_Hel frowned. "It has never been actually used, but from the myths that I studied, it reveals the characteristics of the prophecy it holds – in this case, the Salvation prophecy. Therefore it would describe 'the One', as Captain Rogers so charmingly put it, and give details such as the gender of the individual and the background. Obviously it states that the person is a half-breed, but that could mean any range of things, from mixed race to elemental/human." _

"_Or you." _

_Hel's head snapped up, staring at Agent Barton. He shrugged. "Aren't you technically a half-breed?" _

_He did not say it condescendingly, so Hel just waved it off. "Impossible." _

_Stark clapped his hands down on the table top, making everyone jump. "So, shall we get started?" _

"_Started on what?" Hel questioned, confused._

_Tony Stark snorted. "Obviously we need to find this thing." _

_Fury sighed. "Mr. Stark is right." _

_Hel rolled her eyes. "For once." _

_Stark shot her a shit-eating grin. _

"_Is there anything else we should know about this object?" Dr. Banner asked, catching Hel's eye. _

_She chewed on her lower lip. _

_Thor finally snapped to and looked at her, hard. "You know much about the prophecy. I do not know of its physical properties. It is the stuff of bedtime stories in Asgard. No one believes a half-breed could fulfill a destiny greater than that of the gods. Please, tell us what you know. We must be ready for it." _

_The pleading in his eyes softened her resolve, and she let out a deep and torturous breath. _

"_It releases a dark energy." _

"_Uh oh," Rogers said immediately. _

"_Like the Tesseract?" Dr. Banner asked, looking mildly put off. _

"_Yes, exactly like that. It is made of the same matter," Hel explained. She steeled herself for the next question. _

"_Why didn't you want to tell us about this, exactly?" Stark demanded. "And don't even deny it; we all saw your hesitation." _

_Natasha nodded, training her eyes on Hel's face. _

_Hel sat down and placed her fingers at her temples, massaging her headache away. _

"_I'm sensitive to the Tesseract," she let out in one breath. _

"_What do you mean, sensitive?" Natasha asked, leaning forward, a concerned dent between her eyebrows. _

_Hel looked up and met seven pairs of eyes. _

"_When I suck the life force from another being, I control when and how that happens, and for how long," Hel began, fidgeting with her hair again. "The Tesseract seeps force into me without any indication of stopping. I find myself feeling insanely out of control, experiencing bouts of power that I have absolutely no idea what to do with. It's like I'm a Tesseract force magnet. I conduct electricity, too, but this is something else entirely." _

_The Avengers all glanced at one another, reactions varying from shock to awe. _

"_This is a bad thing?" Thor asked, eyeing Hel with concern. _

_She nodded hesitantly. "Sometimes. If I get enough energy without releasing it, my body suffers. It may shut down. I ended up in a coma a few years ago for a couple of months through exactly those circumstances. There aren't very many books on this stuff, as you can imagine, so it took me a while to understand it myself." _

_Barton nodded. "Alright, so we have the variables. Aside from the impact on your system, what else should we know about this energy?" _

"_It's dark. It was designed to keep people from accessing the prophecy – oracles are big on that 'people should not know their future, they should allow nature to take its course' sort of thing. It envelopes your heart in darkness and shatters your resolve – or so I've heard. It can also be volatile. It releases a thunderous vibration which is akin to thunder," she glanced at Thor, "and is said to crumble the earth beneath the feet of those who seek to unveil its secrets." _

_Dr. Banner blinked and let out a ragged laugh. "Well, you seem to know quite a bit about the subject." _

_Hel blushed. "I really enjoyed things that were outside of my major in school. Obviously." _

_Stark grinned, "I guess that's why you were so star-struck when you met our buddy Thor." _

_Hel gave Stark a STFU look and smiled at Thor. "It was a real pleasure." _

"_The pleasure is mine, milady," Thor replied, returning her smile. They held eye contact for a few more seconds, and then Captain Rogers cleared his throat. _

"_Where do we start looking?" he asked, avoiding Hel's eyes. _

_Hel frowned. "I would gather somewhere in the Norse regions." _

Hel raced back to the cafeteria. She knew that they would be leaving to find the prophecy tomorrow morning, and she needed to tell them about Loki's plan before then.

Bursting through the doors, she found herself face to face with a drunk, staggering Captain America. In the full outfit.

"What the fuck?" she exclaimed, struggling to hold him up when he dropped on her.

He slurred, "That's not proper language for a lady."

Hel nearly laughed. "I don't give a rat's ass about being a lady, Captain," she said, and adjusted her grip on him. Finding her inhuman strength, she hoisted him over her shoulder, glanced around the empty room, and trudged back to his room.

Stopping in front of the door marked 16-D, Hel tried to key hole. Nothing.

Sighing, she walked two rooms over and opened her own room, setting him down on her bed. He was awake, but barely conscious. His eyes followed her as she walked to her bathroom and drenched a towel in cold water.

Kicking off her atrocious heels, letting her eyes roll back into her head for one blissful moment, Hel considered what to do. Should she go find someone to take care of him? She glanced at his slumped form on her bed. He emitted a groan. Damnit, she couldn't just leave him here. Sighing, she took the towel and brought it over to the bed. She took off the head-mask of his 'superhero' uniform, and placed the towel on his forehead.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. His eyes had a desperate look.

Hel felt her heart soften a little. She caressed his blonde tresses and smiled slightly. "Don't worry about it," she whispered back.

She settled on the floor beside the bed, leaning over to brush his hair back. "Captain Rogers, you are in need of a haircut," she chided good-naturedly.

"Steve," he breathed.

Her heart fluttered. "What?" she asked.

"Call me Steve, please," he whispered, gazing at her, his eyes like blue fire.

The darkness in the room seemed stifling all of a sudden and Hel considered just leaving. The walls surrounding her heart could not possibly endure this. But she took a deep breath and decided to stay. Because there were times when she had wished someone had stayed with her.

"Steve," she said, her voice light and breathy.

He closed his eyes. "That's nice," he whispered.

"What is?"

"You saying my name like that."

"Like what?"

"As if you like it."

"I do. Like it, I mean."

He opened his eyes and looked at her, focused for the first time since she'd brought him to her room.

She felt her own eyes unable to look away, drawn to him.

"I like you," he whispered.

She tried to giggle it off. "I like you, too, Steve! Friends, right?"

His eyes darkened, and he raised his hand, catching her own between his fingers. "No, Hel. Don't treat it like a joke. You know that is not what I meant."

Her heart squeezed and she felt faint. _Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. _


	6. Chapter 6

**Before this chapter starts, I just wanted to say thank you to all you lovely people who reviewed! You are the reason I continue with this story. I work hard for you guys! Love you all xoxo **

/

Hel forced herself to break eye contact and get to her feet. Keeping her face covered by shadows and her hair, Hel whispered, "You should sleep it off," and walked out quickly.

She let out a shuddering breath she didn't know she was holding at the sound of the door closing behind her. Hel wrapped her arms around herself and quietly sprinted to the control room.

Fury was there, along with Natasha and Thor.

"Agent Batya, what is it?" Fury seemed to notice her lack of composure.

Hel shook her head and her face hardened. _No time for this stupid shit_, she chided to herself.

"I have further information about Loki's plans which I think you have to hear, sir," she replied, her voice cool.

Thor instantly marched over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You look as though you could use a hot drink."

"Or a bullet to the brain," Hel muttered, smiling wanly at Thor.

"I will go make you some of this 'hot chocolate' you people enjoy so much," Thor declared, going off to find the kitchen.

Hel frowned. "Doesn't he want to know about Loki's plans?" she asked Fury.

Natasha sighed and sat down at a table, patting the chair next to her. Hel sat.

"He's unhinged because of Loki, Hel," Natasha explained, crossing her arms thoughtfully. "His brother's mission to find the prophecy is confusing to him, because it is not parallel to Loki's previous ambitions."

"But it is," Hel blurted out. Natasha looked at her with interest.

Fury waved his hand impatiently. "Explain, Agent Batya."

Hel ran a tired hand through her tresses and began. "He knows he cannot destroy the prophecy itself, because it has already been predicted. But he plans to kill the half-breed once he finds out who it is."

Natasha let out a breath, clucking irritably. "More killing. We should have guessed."

Fury scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Was there anything else you uncovered?" he questioned her, curious.

Hel nodded. "He plans to report to the Chiataru tomorrow. He is plotting an escape plan to get to a portal between the realms. It's in Athens."

Fury whistled. "Good job, Agent. That is a lot of information."

Natasha grinned at Hel. "You are so useful for someone so set against being a superhero."

Hel blushed and rolled her eyes, but felt a glowing pride in her core at Agent Romanov's words.

"Well, it's almost 3 in the morning and we've got a big day tomorrow, Agents. I suggest you head to bed, as I'm about to do now," Fury stated, raising an eyebrow at Hel when she began shaking her head.

"Captain Rogers is in my bed," she explained, then instantly wished she hadn't.

Natasha looked at her with appraisal, causing Hel to blush again.

"Already exploring the stars and stripes, are we, Agent Batya?" Natasha teased her with a grin.

"He was drunk," Hel began, "and I couldn't open the door to his own room so…"

Fury chuckled. "Come on then, you'll have to sleep in his room tonight. I'll have an agent inform him in the morning."

Hel sighed and gratefully said, "Thank you."

/

Fury left her alone once Natasha had retrieved one of her own nightgowns for Hel. The girl looked around the room, the knowledge that Steve resided in it somehow making her irrationally nervous.

She held up the nightie, scowling at the silky fabric. Women actually wore things like this to bed? It was made of pale pink silk, with black lace trimming the outline of it. Hel muttered a few unintelligible things under her breath, chucked her dress off and pulled the nightgown on. It brushed her thighs a few inches above the knee.

Hel let her eyes trace the contours of the room. It was mostly bare, with one picture in a frame on the desk in the corner. Walking a little closer, she stopped short and gasped. The photo was of a beautiful woman with brown curled hair, smiling into the camera, eyes shining. It was taken in the 1930s.

Hel swallowed the lump in her throat, and her hand rested at her chest, feeling her heart racing. She willed herself not to cry, but the tears came anyway.

_Stupid. It's not like you have feelings for the man_, one side of Hel whispered. _But why does this photo stab your heart the way it does, then?_ the other side shot back.

Wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand, Hel took a deep breath and padded over to the bed with bare feet. Carefully pulling back the covers, she slid into bed, and instantly inhaled the scent of him.

_This is going to be a long night, Hel. You are going to lay here and not stop thinking about him. You are a complete idiot. _

/

Thor was restless.

The human bed was fine, comfortable even, but still, he fidgeted and could not get to sleep.

Stark had suggested earlier in the evening that Thor contact Jane to reinvigorate himself. It was true, he did miss the beautiful scientist, but that was not what was bothering him presently.

Finally he growled, threw back the covers, and dressed.

Loki sat with his back against the glass wall of his cell.

He did not need to sleep, but he could have. Instead, he thought of the half-breed.

Something inside him sparked an idea, an idea which connected the prophecy and Hel Batya.

A slow smile built on his lips. "Perhaps it is destiny, then," he whispered to himself.

"What is destiny, brother?" Thor's booming voice called.

Loki scoffed. "How very like you, Thor," he sneered. "Lurking in the middle of the night where you are not wanted."

Thor frowned, jaw hardened. "Loki, tell me of your plans. Do you really intend to kill whoever is the chosen half-breed?"

Loki got up and stalked to the glass in front of Thor. "How did you know of my plans?"

Thor shook his head and gestured around them. "Does it matter? They have intelligence here, brother. Tell me of your plans!"

Loki just looked at Thor with disgust. "Discontinue calling me brother and I will consider it."

Thor looked stunned. "But you are my brother."

"We were never brothers. I am Laufeyson," Loki spit out.

"It never mattered to me what your origins were!" Thor roared. "You were my brother then and you are still my brother, despite the suffering you have caused and continue to cause."

Loki gave Thor a small, ironic smile and gently shook his head. "You will never accept it."

"You are certainly right, I will not accept anything less!" Thor snapped.

Loki looked at Thor with pity and slowly walked to his previous position at the back of the cell.

Thor said in a calm voice, "If you will not tell me of your plans, I will find out through intelligence."

Loki looked at him with surprise.

Thor waited a beat, then turned around and left in a flourish.

/

Hel's eyes snapped open. She sensed it. Someone was trying to put thoughts into her head.

_I know you can hear me, little half-breed. _

_Loki. _

_Yes, it's me, Batya. _

_What is that? My last name, you used it as a word. Does it have a meaning?_

_For someone who has studied Norse legends so rigorously, you do not know many things. _

_And to think just yesterday you were saying I was very intelligent. _

_It means daughter of God, silly creature. _

_What do you want, Laufeyson? _

_You will regret calling me that. _

_I'm willing to bet that I won't, but humour me. _

_What do I want? First of all, I would like for this ship to go down without an explanation, so I could have a chance to escape. _

Hel snorted. _I am not Santa Claus, I can't make all your dreams come true, sweetheart. _

_Silly human mythology, where did they ever get that idea? I will never understand._Hel felt his chuckling through the mind connection, and a shiver ran through her body.

_What do you want from me, I mean. _

_I told you what I want from you. Help me escape. _

_As if. You cannot possibly be serious. _

_Oh, but I am. Very serious. You __**will**__ assist me. _

_You are delusional. It's worse than I thought. _

_You will help or your friends will suffer. _

Hel felt dread settle in the pit of her stomach. The Avengers were her only family now.

_How exactly would you harm them? _She tried to sound unimpressed. _You are trapped. _

She heard his laugh in her mind, like a caress. _You underestimate me. Many have done that before and perished as a result. _

_Trust me, I will never underestimate you. In fact, I do believe you are the one who overestimates yourself. _

Hel heard his threatening growl. _Careful, half-breed. _

_You __**do**__ have quite a temper, _Hel giggled.

At the sound of her giggling, Loki released a breath and Hel heard it. Curiously, she sent him an image of a question mark.

_You are like a small child,_ he said in response, a frustrated, tired note in his mind-voice. _A very irritating, extremely attractive small child._

Hel smiled to herself. _Regardless, I will not help you escape. You're crazy for asking. _

_You will assist, or your special friend Rogers will suffer the price._

Hel's heart constricted. Turning over in bed, she inhaled Steve's scent again and her eyes widened at the possibility that he might die.

_You better tell me your plan and do it fast before I change my mind, you bastard. _

Loki smiled.


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you again for all your lovely reviews! Reviews make me very happy and inspire me to write more So feel free to review as much as you'd like ;) haha 3 Without further ado, the continuation of Hel's story… **

**/**

Hel tossed in Steve's bed, unable to sleep after the stomach-turning telepathic conversation she'd shared with the god of mischief.

She glanced at the bedside clock. It was almost 7am. Everyone would be up to go over the mission statements and head to Sweden.

Hel released an unsteady breath and forced her mind to conjure an image of an ice wall. Keeping it in place, she felt the effect it had on her elemental cerebral cortex. Her thought process numbed and she felt herself slipping away. Mercifully, she fell asleep within moments.

/

Steve Rogers had woken up in someone else's room, wearing his Captain America outfit, with a pounding headache.

There was a cool towel on his forehead, and his mask lay folded on the bedside table. A note beside it read,

"_Sir, _

_You were intoxicated. Agent Batya took care of you, then slept in your room. There is Aspirin in the bathroom._

_Maintenance Staff" _

Steve's heart lurched. Hel had slept in his room?

Groaning, he sat up and slowly walked to the bathroom to find that Aspirin. Suddenly, he really _did _feel like an old man.

_Wait... Intoxicated? That was impossible._ He shook his head, deciding to ask Fury about it later.

Several minutes later, having washed his face in freezing water and thoroughly inspected Hel's bedroom – he felt ashamed of that point – Steve wandered down the hallway to his own room. It was 7 o'clock, so he assumed everyone was awake already. He would need to change and head to the conference room.

Keying his passcode in, he walked through the doorway and stopped short.

_She was still in his bed._

The covers had been tossed aside and she lay on her left side, legs curled slightly, the curve of her thigh and behind peeking out from under the strange silky nightgown. Her flaming hair spilled over his pillows, her breathing causing her chest to rise and fall.

She looked like an angel.

Blushing to the tips of his ears, Steve walked up hesitantly and cleared his throat.

When she didn't respond, he picked up the comforter and covered her with it. He felt indecent looking at her this way without her knowing.

She stirred and he froze, keeping his eyes on her face.

Her eyes fluttered open, her lips letting out a breathy moan, an indication that she was regaining consciousness.

"Steve?" her honey coated voice asked lightly.

Captain Steve Rogers stood hypnotized and paralyzed, with absolutely no idea what to say, and absolutely no ability to say _anything_.

/

Hel got dressed in a blur. She was beyond humiliated at having woken up in that stupid skimpy nightie in front of Steve. Her face had not lost its bright red color all morning.

After the realization, and seeing the transfixed look on his face, Hel muttered something along the lines of, "I'll see you at the mission statements" and literally flew out of the room and down the hall.

She did not even try to delve into his mind to see what he was thinking. She was terrified of what she might find there.

Sighing, Hel pulled on a pair of tastefully faded jeans, black timberland boots and a white filmy tank top. Glancing in the mirror, she saw a shade of her black bra through it. _I look like a slut,_ she thought, and for once she actually did not give a shit. She threw her leather jacket over her shirt, slipped her Les Baer into her holster, and stalked to the conference room, fish-tail braiding her hair to the right side on the way.

Walking into the room, she felt everyone's eyes rest on her. Apparently she was the last to arrive.

Steve was carefully avoiding looking at her. _Fine_, she thought angrily. _Two can play at this game_.

Marching up to the empty seat at the table, she plopped her ass down and prompted Fury to continue speaking.

"As I was just saying," Fury started, glaring at Hel, "Our mission is to retrieve the orb. That is all. Retrieve it and make certain no damage comes to it. Our secondary mission is to assure that Loki does not succeed in whatever plans he has to escape today."

Hel swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Understood?"

Everyone nodded. Hel inclined her head to indicate agreement, but inside she felt like the evil bitch she had felt herself to be mere days ago.

/

Hel slid into Loki's cell soundlessly, her heart beating erratically, wishing she had never agreed to do this stupid S.H.I.E.L.D. thing.

"Loki," she called softly to the sleeping god, approaching his slumped form. He did look quite innocent while he was unconscious. She knelt beside him and, unable to stop herself, caressed his silky black hair back from his face.

He gripped her arm tightly within seconds.

His eyes snapped open and he stared at her in disbelief.

"What are you doing?" he asked, his voice wavering.

Hel swallowed, unsure of her answer herself.

"I…" she began lamely.

"Are you _that_ infatuated with me?" Loki asked, seemingly regaining his teasing tone, releasing hold of her arm.

Hel looked at him, taking in the purposefully hardened facial expression, the icy blue of his eyes beneath which she suspected warmth and desperation lingered, and the curving bottom lip which she suspected had turned down many times in genuine sorrow.

"Maybe," she whispered, unaware she was responding to his question.

He gazed at her, unable to comprehend why she was studying him with such civility in her eyes. Did she not despise him? Such a strange creature, this woman.

He looked at her then, and saw her for the first time, _really _saw her. She was vulnerable. No defenses. In front of him, of all people.

Hel appraised Loki with her gaze and she did not feel the least bit threatened. He looked… well, lonely. He looked misunderstood and lonely and loathed. He seemed to suffer from the same condition that she did – self-hatred. She did not feel pity towards him… but she felt a kinship.

"My father ostracised me. My sister was always the one he paid attention to. He was inexpressibly proud of every accomplishment of hers. When I was 13 years old, he told me he gave up on me. Because of his lack of affection for me, I felt worthless. I attempted to end my own life. Yes, I know it was pathetic and human of me. Then I began to study insanely and vacuum up knowledge like oxygen. It distracted me from his disappointed eyes. My mother loved me… I believed so, until I found out I was not their daughter. His refusal to present me with anything but a carefully calculated measure of approval made sense to me. I was furious. I left and never looked back. And they never looked for me."

She stopped, her breath labored, her tears threatening to turn into a waterfall. She looked at him and saw the pity in his eyes. Beyond the pity there was a hidden pain, the pain which only truly comes from empathy.

Hel realized that she was revealing more to this 'villain' than she had to any of the other people on the ship. She willed herself to clear her head and focused back on their little interaction.

"When do you wish for me to begin execution of your plan, m'Lord?" she whispered, keeping her speech barely audible.

He continued to gaze at her, allowing her question to wash over him, still reeling inside from her revelation, feeling an unspoken bond to her.

"Loki?" she prompted, touching her fingertips to his arm.

He caught her hand and held it, his own icy cold palm warming from the contact. Hel was surprised by the gesture, but she cautiously allowed it.

"You are the half-breed," he said, unable to break eye contact with her.

Hel's eyes widened. "You mean…?"

"Yes," he said in a sigh. "You are the chosen half-breed."

"That's hardly possible," she protested. "I'm not extraordinary."

Loki growled. "You have lived among humans too long. The typical petty self-esteem issues are influencing you."

Hel was so startled by the comment that a giggle escaped her lips. She clamped her unoccupied hand over her mouth and stifled the laughter.

Loki hesitantly smiled at her. It seemed to be the first crack in his self-inflicted armor.

"But you plan to kill me?" Hel asked quietly, looking away from his eyes.

Then his face changed, it became hard, angry. He tried to pull his hand away.

"Loki…" Hel said in a pleading voice. He looked at her, his eyes wavering. "Tell me."

_Not me. It was the Chiataru. They plan to sacrifice you on an altar. They have a weapon which will have the power to destroy species. There is another prophecy that states it will be activated with your blood._

He said this all in her mind, keeping his eyes trained on her face, waiting for a reaction.

Hel kept her face even and calm.

_Why are you telling me? I'm sure your idea to have me assist your escape was a formulation for the purpose of kidnapping me and delivering me to them. _

He winced noticeably and his face hardened, hiding any trace of the softness it had previously revealed.

"It no longer matters," he spit back, avoiding her eyes.

Hel felt as if he'd slapped her. She drew back, a tear sliding down her cheek. He looked at her, shocked at her reaction. She bit her lip to keep from sobbing, stood up and turned to leave.

"Wait," he said softly. "Please."

Hel turned to him and shook her head. "There is nothing left to say."

Loki smiled. "I was not planning to do any talking."

He walked up to her and took her hand, his own hand stroking the side of her face.

Hel felt her defenses rising, and instantly burrowed her emotions. She slipped her pokerface on and drew back from his touch.

"I need to go report to Colonel Fury," she bit out.

His eyes looked pained for a split instant, then Loki glared at her and stepped back.

"Run to your owner, little bitch," he jeered.

"Did I hit a nerve? Sorry I didn't fall for your sensitive act, _m'Lord,_" she sneered with emphatic mockery, "but you are, after all, the god of lies. And boy, am I ever used to lies from men. After all this, you are **just a man**."

Seeing the enraged look on his face, she turned on her heel and stalked out, slamming the door to his cell.


	8. Chapter 8

**Some background on the Norse goddess Hel who inspired Hel Batya's name: Hel is often referred to as a half-goddess. She was given the responsibility of being the goddess of the afterlife – a place named after her now – by Odin, god of gods. To 'go to Hel' meant to die. **

**Yes, she is depicted as Loki's daughter in some variations of the myth. However, Loki does not have any children in the Avengers storyline, and Hel is in no way related to him. She was only inspired by the myth, she is NOT that goddess. **

**/**

"You did _what_?" Hel screeched at Stark. Tony shushed her profusely.

"Shhhh!" he hissed. "I was testing an intoxication drug Bruce and I were working on. "

"I thought he was drunk," Hel moaned, collapsing into a chair in the almost empty conference room. Tony was the only other person there.

Stark snickered. "That was the point," he replied, casually dropping into a chair next to her, smirking. "His body has a ridiculous tolerance for alcohol ever since the injections. I thought he would be the perfect guinea pig."

Hel nodded at that first part. She'd read about the experiment, and the first "super-soldier". If she had to be completely honest, it churned her stomach a little. But Steve seemed so fragile still that his hulking muscles did little to mask his innocence.

"It was still irresponsible," Hel scolded, shaking her head suddenly. "He could have experienced negative side effects or worse."

"_Noooo,_" Tony gasped, all faux horror. "_Me? _Irresponsible? It can't be!"

Hel rolled her eyes and grinned. "At least you know it," she fired back, extending her fangs.

"Wow, "Tony said leaning forward. "Can I get a closer look at those?"

Hel considered it for a moment, checked to see if she felt an uncontrollable need to rip into someone's jugular, decided she was still well-energized from her rendezvous with Loki the previous day (Asgardians had more life force than humans… a small dose from them sustained her for a longer period of time).

"Sure," she responded finally. She held very still as he leaned his face in closer.

Steve walked in right at that moment.

"What's going on?" he demanded, a stormy look on his handsome face.

Hel blushed and pushed Tony away.

"Wha-?" Tony protested. Then he realized…

"Oh! You think we were about to smoochie-smooch? Sorry to disappoint, I was inspecting her impressive chompers. I don't suck face with children," Tony teased.

Hel was too horrified at the look on Steve's face to respond to Tony's jeer.

"Fury wants you all on the bridge," Steve bit out and whirled around, walking away.

Hel glanced at Stark and lurched to her feet, sprinting after Steve.

She was in front of him within seconds. "Steve, please," she pleaded.

He tried to get around her, not looking at her. "Agent Batya, please let me through."

Hel teared up. "Please," she whispered, a broken note in her voice.

Steve sighed and looked up. He seemed surprised to see her tears, and he brought a hand up under her chin, raising her face up to his.

"Please don't," he said quietly.

Hel let out a sob.

He groaned. "I can't stand seeing women do this."

Hel joked weakly, "Good thing I'm not technically a human woman."

Steve looked at her eyes then, his own a dark blue. "You are a woman."

He said it with such certainty in his voice that there was something sensual about the comment.

Hel felt herself turn pink, her tearstained face turned up to him, completely vulnerable.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, gazing into his stormy eyes.

She saw him struggle with something, breaking eye contact.

"Steve, I am. I'm so sorry. I just freaked out, okay? I'm not used to it. Feelings, I mean. I'm not used to having feelings…" she mumbled.

His head snapped up and he smiled at her. "Feelings," he said, hope lighting his voice.

She nodded, suddenly scared. She was opening herself up to another person, allowing herself to be vulnerable to disappointment, rejection, failure.

He kissed her.

She gasped into his mouth, and willed herself not to tug his life force. Instead, for the first time in her life, she kissed a man, just to kiss him.

She felt like chocolate on a July day, melting into his arms.

Someone cleared their throat behind her.

They sprang apart like startled rabbits.

"I'm so sorry to interrupt, but Colonel Fury would like everyone on the bridge for mission take-off," Agent Smith said, trying to hide her smile.

Hel knew without looking that Steve's face bore an expression that matched her own completely, especially the red shade. They hurried down the hall in silence, following Agent Smith to the bridge.

/

"Do you think they're doing it?" Stark whispered to Banner as they sat in the pod, ready to be dispatched.

Bruce Banner just looked at Tony. "I doubt that's any of your business," he said with a smile.

Stark snorted. "It's so obvious, it's everyone's business."

Banner shook his head and regarded Hel, who sat across from him, gazing out the window.

"I don't think so," he answered Tony, surprising himself. "I don't think she's sleeping with anyone."

"Oh, yeah, right," Stark retorted. "Did you see her in that dress the other night? She is asking for it."

Banner sputtered, and groaned. "Do you ever think about anything else?"

Tony shot his famous shit-eating grin. "Nope."

"I can hear you," they heard Hel's tired voice call over.

Banner apologized for both of them sheepishly.

Hel smiled and replied, "I know it wasn't your idea, Dr. Banner."

Bruce regarded her with curious eyes. He liked the way she called him Dr. Banner, with a subtle respect.

"Damn right it wasn't his idea," Stark shot back. "He's not creative enough to imagine you in that dress."

He winked at her.

"I'm going to pretend I lost my hearing for a few seconds there," Hel called. "Otherwise I might see my coffee come back up."

The pod jolted, and the side door opened. Fury stepped in, followed by three guards… who were escorting a handcuffed Loki.

"What the fuck?" Hawkeye exclaimed.

Fury sighed. "He's going to be joining us," he began to explain. "He seems reluctant to cooperate, so we're going to have to keep an eye on him."

Hel made a mistake. She looked up and met Loki's eyes.

She felt herself falling, and broke the contact. Swallowing the bitter pain, she turned to face the window indignantly.

_Already mating with the man out of time? _

His voice came into her mind, completely uninvited, crashing a party it was not wanted at.

_Get the hell out of my mind. _

_I will leave when I feel like it. _

_You will leave when I shank you like a prison bitch. _

She heard his snort in her mind. _Your vocabulary takes an interesting turn when you're angry. _

_I have good reason to be angry. Shut up and leave me alone. _

Hel's face bore a distinctively sour expression, like she'd just bitten into a lemon.

Steve watched her curiously and when she glanced around the cockpit, he met her eyes. He saw fury and betrayal there. Knowing she would hear, he asked her what was wrong in his mind.

She shook her head slightly, not wanting Loki to hear their exchange.

_Interesting. He cares for you. So it is not simply a carnal pleasure? _

Hel felt bile rising in her throat. _What would you know of care? I didn't think you knew what that word meant. _

_I know far more about it than you would think, Batya_, his voice whispered in her mind bitterly. _I know of the loss of it, too._

_So did you lose their love because you were an asshole or did you become one after you lost their love? _

_I will 'shank' you, as you so charmingly put it, in front of your friends, half-breed_, he growled.

She snorted. Stark glanced at her, a confused expression on his face. Finally, she released a breath and said out loud, "Loki has been sharing his delightful company with me telepathically. Not that I consented," she added through clenched teeth.

Loki stared at her, willing her to look at him, but she refused and turned her head. For the rest of the flight, he tried to pry into her head to no avail. She put up her icy wall and he met resistance every time.

/

The pod landed in Greece approximately 6 hours later.

And it was engulfed in fire upon landing.


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you all for your feedback! Sorry it's been a while since I updated, things are a bit crazy. Here we go! **

/

The back door of the ship fell back as Thor slammed his hammer into it. Flames burst into the opening. Immediately, Steve lurched to his feet and covered Hel and himself with his shield. Tony was outside the ship within minutes, and the sounds of blasting were audible. Agents Barton and Romanov were taking shelter behind some debris outside the door, arming their respectful weapons.

Thor had bounded out of the ship, dragging Loki with him. Utterly suffocated with an unbearable sudden terror, Hel practically shimmered out of existence and appeared by Loki.

"He is bound!" Hel yelled at Thor, gaining his attention briefly. "I will protect him!"

Thor, about to retort, thought better of it and nodded briskly before striding into the flames to confront the unknown attackers. Hel turned to Loki. He was staring at her.

_Why?_

Hel made a sound of protest in the back of her throat. _Not now, Laufeyson!_

She concentrated and formed a resistant shield around both of them. Having control over the fire element gave Hel a certain ability to project her telepathy as a force field against elemental threats.

Glancing up, she watched as her friends fought strange humanoid creatures whose skin blazed a blistering red with what looked like tattoos of a blue-black colour across the rest of their bodies.

Dr. Banner removed his glasses and his body surged in size, gaining at least 6 times its regular mass. The Hulk, as he was officially known, let out a furious roar and pounded forward into the onslaught.

_Why are you defending me?_

Hel heard Loki's startled voice in her head. She shook it off and snapped out loud, "Shut up and try not to die."

Her hair, flung from its loose bun atop her head, trailed down her back and shoulders in tendrils of flaming silk. Her violet eyes brimmed with tears of exertion from holding the force field.

She watched Steve fighting through a barrage of flames and instantly wanted to snatch him and speed away from this place. But she couldn't protect all of them, and she felt if she had to save someone, it should be Loki – he was, after all, the powerless one at the moment. How ironic. _Is that really the only reason you wish to save him…? _Her heart whispered in a sing-song mock.

Off to the right, Black Widow was shooting creature after creature with startling accuracy. The bodies of the extraterrestrials fell and burst into flames upon death, which defeated the purpose slightly.

Steve was hurtling his shield at bodies, trying to clear a path for Thor, who was waving his hammer at every available enemy.

Hel broke concentration, yanked Loki by his handcuffs, and sped through the flames in the opposite direction.

She did not make it very far.

**Hel**, she heard a voice caress her mind. A startling, alien voice which held an unfamiliar authority.

She looked to her left to see a figure emerge from the smoke.

He was humanoid, with the same blazing markings on his skin. His, however, was a graying colour, different from the others, darker, more ashes than flames. He was also clearly in charge.

He hoisted a hand into the air and gestured to Hel with his three middle fingers. Hel did not know what it meant. She also could not understand how he knew about her abilities.

**Daughter**, his voice whispered in her mind.

She jerked violently, her thought processes interrupted by a sudden tidal wave of shock. It felt as if she'd stuck her fingers into a power outlet. She felt a steady hand on her back and heard Loki say telepathically, eerily calm,

_He is __of __Muspellsheimr_.

Hel tried to breathe. The alien man began to move toward her. All she heard was the buzz in her ears and the commotion of a thousand explosions as her friends fought the creatures.

"Halt!" she screamed. She felt her skin stretching, the result of her meal of energy from Loki the previous day. Her body extended, elongating, bursting. Her figure tripled in size and suddenly she felt nearly as big as the Hulk. This had only happened once – when she'd found out she was adopted.

Her rage and vulnerability bubbled to the surface and she slammed her palms together, releasing a tsunami of arctic air which effectively put out the fires and shook the ground of Athens enough to cause lasting cracks in the pavement.

There was silence. At last.

Both sides had paused in their fighting.

The Muspellsheimr leader stared at Hel, a look of intense pride on his face.

"My offspring is glorious, is she not? The rightful heir to the realm of fire!"

His actual voice was raspy and deep. The baritone carried across the plain and reached his followers even dozens of yards away. It was the sound of death – authoritative death. They all roared their approval.

"Come," he addressed Hel, holding his hand forward, three fingers still extended. "We have come to take you home."

Hel felt her body shifting again, shrinking back down to normal size, like a balloon losing its air supply.

Hel could say nothing. Her tongue was stuck to the bottom of her mouth as if glued there. The cave of her mouth was dry – a desert.

Loki spoke for her. "This child is also of Asgardian origin. What of that?"

Normally, Hel would have smacked him for calling her a child. But in light of the situation, she said nothing.

The alien leader seemed to consider Loki. "Yes, there is the matter of her… other side," he conceded. "She belongs with her own kind. She is the half-breed."

Hel felt Loki's hands tighten into fists, and her head whipped to the side to look at him. She was stunned back into coherence by the look of rage on his face.

"Loki," she whispered, touching his sleeve. He turned to look at her. "What is it?" she asked, frightened suddenly by his expression.

"He knew," Loki spit out, indicating the alien leader – her _father_, Hel thought, nearly choking into physical sickness by this concept – with his head. "He knew the prophecy and experimented. You were an experiment."

Hel's stomach churned and she feared she really would be sick right there, on Loki's boots.

She turned to face the leader, slowly, mechanically.

He spoke in her mind, sounding matter-of-fact. **I needed an heir. It seemed worth it to try for a half-breed. **

Hel swallowed and took a few breaths before regarding him with icy eyes and telepathically asking, _ Did you… experiment with any other species? _

…**Yes**, he replied reluctantly.

_If I'm Asgardian and Muspell, why do I have control of the ice element? _

**I… experimented, as your god of mischief called it, with, what is the human word, ah yes, the DNA of the Ice Giants. I desired to create a perfect immortal. Your mother had a magical gift she passed onto you. She never knew what you were. I convinced her that you would not be like myself. I believed it at the time, but I did not know that the… condition, I suppose, was hereditary. Believe me, I did not know that you would be…**

_A draugr_, Hel whispered in her mind, her eyes filling with tears. _A monster_._ That's why your skin is different from the others. That's why I'm not alive. _

He regarded her with saddened eyes. **Perhaps I was harsh in having an enchantress bewitch you to look and feel more human. It began to wear away, did it not?**

Hel swallowed a huge lump in her throat and just nodded.

"Hi, excuse me?" she heard Tony's voice say, annoyed. "Maybe you remember us? We're your, erm, co-heroes. Wanna fill us in?"

"She is my daughter," the alien leader called out loud. Every human present – and Thor – let out a breath of startled air.

Hel felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Steve. "Hel," he breathed, wheezing, obviously sagging from exhaustion but still there to comfort her in his own small way.

She turned to face him, and then the rest of the team over his shoulder, with a weak smile. She tried to joke. "All caught up, then, guys?"

"Do you want me to kill him?" Steve asked quietly, repressed fury in his voice.

The alien leader snorted. _Oddly human of him_, a small part of her mind whispered to Hel.

Hel shook her head. "I'll go with you," Hel called to the Muspell.

His eyes, surprisingly kind, were a deep indigo with red irises – like hers. He smiled. His teeth consisted of only canines.

Steve's hold on her shoulder tightened to acutely painful. "Are you serious?" he demanded, voice rising in disbelief.

She felt hot air around her legs as Tony landed beside them in his Iron Man suit. "Me thinks the lady doth protest too little," Tony agreed, obviously trying to be clever with his Shakespeare reference.

_What do you think you are doing?_ Hel heard Loki's enraged roar in her mind. Unwittingly, she flinched away from him physically. _I did not give up my plan to have you handed over to these… these demons!_

"He spoke something to you?" Thor asked in his usual thunderous voice, approaching them, the Mjolnir still poised in his grip, ready, just in case.

Hel turned to face Loki, expecting murderous anger in his eyes. Instead, she saw a raw desperation there and it shook her like an earthquake.

This, of course, happened all over the course of a few minutes.

"Natasha," Hel heard herself saying. She knew the spy would hear her.

Agent Romanov walked to Hel's side calmly. She raised an eyebrow.

"You understand, don't you?" Hel again heard herself voice, unaware of herself speaking. She seemed to be floating over her body, watching the interactions with the entire team. She was unaware she'd even made a decision to go with the Muspell.

Natasha regarded her with a thoughtful expression. "I do…" she began, "but…"

Hel's resolve quivered, as did her lower lip. Terrified that she might start crying, she bit into her lip. Tasting the salty heat of her blood, she was immediately shaken by the revelation that her fangs had been extended and she had not even realized.

She felt her own blood roll down her chin and drip.

Steve's hand left her shoulder and Hel made one of the biggest mistakes of her entire life – she delved into his mind.

_Oh god, what… her teeth… blood…? What sort of monster… _

Unable to control herself, she choked on a mixture of a gasp and a sob and heard Loki's growl behind her; she knew he'd heard Steve's thought.

"Not having the ability to pluck shit out of people's minds telepathically, I am going to infer that Steve just thought something extremely rude about you, and you are desperately hurt because you actually liked him," Tony began in his usual fashion.

"Shut up, you useless todger," Loki hissed. "Will you ever learn to shut your mouth?"

"Hel, I…" she heard Steve begin, heard the slight shift of his weight as he began to move back towards her, and it dawned on her without any preconception that she had reached her breaking point. She dropped all her wards, psychological and physical, and her entire body set on fire, her clothes dropping away like burning branches. She turned and sped faster than she had ever ran before. Her body became a flash of flaming orange, and she was gone.


	10. Chapter 10

**THIS CHAPTER IS WRITTEN FROM HEL'S POINT OF VIEW.**

**Also, there is some Rated M material in this chapter, skip if that offends you. **

"_Helena!" Mom yelled from downstairs. _

_I sighed, gathered up my bag and cellphone, and trudged down the staircase to another day at that hell-hole called school. _

_Except today would be different. _

_It would be worse, because I knew now._

"_Hel, wait," Mom said, and reached for my shoulder as I walked past her at the foot of the stairs. _

"_What?" I asked, keeping my eyes on the floor. _

"_About what we talked about yesterday…" she started. I jerked my shoulder away from her. _

_When I looked up at her, she gasped and stepped back. I knew she was seeing the same thing I'd seen that morning in the mirror's reflection – eyes that glowed red. _

_She stared at me, her lips quivering, and then she began to cry. _

"_I knew it," she gasped. "I told him. I told Steven that we should've gotten another baby. You were evil even then."  
I shook with shock and despair. "Mom…" I reached out to her. _

_She flinched away from my hand and backed away. "Don't," she spit. "Don't touch me." _

"_Mommy?" _

_I turned around, seeing my 10 year old sister walk into the room. _

"_Astrella, get over here. Come over to mommy!" Mom whispered frantically, keeping her eyes on me like some predator._

_My sister hesitantly went over to her. "What's wrong?" she asked innocently. _

"_Do you see that person?" Mom asked her, pointing at me. "You are never to go near that person again. You stay away from them. Forever." _

_Astrella began to cry. "But why, Mommy? I love Hel." _

_I choked on a sob and tasted copper. When I brought my hand up to my face, it came back stained with blood. The fangs had come out. _

_Astrella screamed. _

_And then I turned and ran out the door. And out of my life. _

**/**

I sat with my back against the wall of an old abandoned building, miles away from the landing of the ship, sobbing as if my life depended on it.

My entire existence was a huge joke. The people I had considered my family had treated me like a monster and forced me to flee; my newfound friends had let me run away… no one had chased after me – _Steve _had not chased after me. But I was used to men letting me run, and being glad I had run.

Just like Harry.

_**/**_

"_Darling, have you seen my lilac shirt?" Harry called from the bedroom. _

_I smiled to myself. "It's probably under the bed where you threw it last night," I teased loudly. _

_I felt his arms circle my waist from behind and I giggled as he nestled his chin into my shoulder. _

"_Oh, yes," he whispered, kissing my neck. "I love your pancakes." _

_I giggled again, turning around in his arms and planting a peck on his soft lips. "I love hearing that word in your accent," I said, beaming. _

_He pouted playfully. "Sometimes I think you only love me because I'm English," he teased, tickling me. _

_I squealed, and grinned suggestively at him, checking him out. "No, there are a few other things I love," I said mischievously. _

_He raised one eyebrow and grinned. "You do look rather ravishing." _

_I pursed my lips and winked. "I'm not wearing anything under this apron."_

"_I know," he replied, pulling me to him. "I could see everything while I was watching you from the doorway." _

"_You saw everything last night," I retorted, melting into his kiss. _

_I tried to concentrate on what his tongue was doing, but I was itching to leave. _

_I hadn't fed in days… I needed to sustain my control. I focused on keeping my fangs in and the way he was caressing my tongue with his. _

_He was such a good kisser. _

_He was older than me – I was 18, he was 24 – and I felt desperate to impress him constantly. _

_I didn't want to seem like a child. _

_Although lately, I'd been staying over at his place more and more, and I didn't feel like a child at all. _

_We broke the kiss, and I found myself wanting to tear his shirt off. _

"_Before I go to work," he began, sitting down at the table, and patting the seat next to him, "I've got to talk to you about something." _

_I sat down and let him hold my hand. He smiled. _

"_I'd like for you to move in with me," he said, watching me intently. _

_I gasped, bringing a hand up to cover my mouth, while my eyes filled up with tears. _

"_I hope those are tears of joy," he joked weakly, kissing my hand. _

"_They are," I whispered, "they are." _

_He smiled and leaned in. I met his lips and kissed him ferociously. _

_Next thing I knew, I was slammed up against the wall near the bedroom, and the shirt I was wearing was being torn off me by impatient hands, kisses being planted on my collarbone. _

_I moaned, and ground my hips into Harry's, undoing his belt buckle with one hand while the other tangled itself in his dark locks. _

_He gripped one of my breasts in one hand and massaged it thoroughly, kneading it and tweaking my nipple until I began to squirm in his grip. He stopped, pulled his shirt off, and French-kissed me. _

"_Harry! Oh, god, please," I begged, pulling at his pants. His member sprang free, and I led it to my core, sliding onto him. _

_I heard his sharp intake of breath, and then he was pounding into me. I dug my nails into his back, and felt the swell of his biceps on either side of me. _

_After a few moments of heated slaps and sliding, he growled and pushed me to the floor. _

_I gasped in surprise, and planted my hands on the floor to keep balanced. He grabbed my hips from behind and growling, slammed into me with renewed ferocity. _

_After a few minutes of this, we somehow managed to stumble into bed and then I was on him, bucking like a cowgirl on her steed. _

_He groaned, "I love you," and angled himself better, meeting my movement. _

_I pressed my lips to his neck, feeling the push and pull as we connected. _

_I felt the tidal wave of climax coming over me, and I could not control what happened next. _

_My fangs slid out, and I sank them into his jugular. He screamed. _

_Immediately, I jumped off and away, standing in the corner of the room, shivering, terrified. _

"_Bloody hell," he yelled, holding his hand to his neck and feeling the blood oozing from the puncture wounds. _

"_You should go," he said, staring at me with wild eyes. _

"_Harry, I—"_

"_Leave. Now," he yelled. _

_Sobbing, I gathered my things and slammed the door behind on the only man who had ever made me feel normal. _

My eyes were dry by the time I finished thinking about what had happened with Harry.

I had determined to forget. It made no difference.

_Hel._

I heard his voice in my mind, calm and sensitive. It was the first time he'd called me by my name.

_Loki_, I thought back.

I saw a picture of him holding me, comforting me, in his mind. And I began to cry again.

"Hel," I heard him whisper, not having noticed that he'd approached me. He touched my face, wiping each tear away with his thumbs.

I looked into his eyes, my bottom lip quivering. I knew I didn't look beautiful or even decent. I was a wreck.

Yet he still said, "Be calm, darling," and pressed me to his chest, rubbing slow circles on my back.

I sobbed until I was empty, and then I looked up at him, pressing my lips to his.

He gently pulled away, holding me at an inch's length. "Hel, this is not what you wish," he tried to reason with me.

I shook my head firmly. "Yes," I retorted, brushing his hair back from his face, caressing his cheek. "Yes, it is."

He saw the resolve in my eyes.

As he leaned in, I caught the sight of Steve's figure out of the corner of my eye, running up to us, calling my name.

I pulled away, but I knew the damage was done. The indescribable hurt in his eyes was enough to tell me that.


	11. Chapter 11

Hel straightened her shoulders and focused on her feet, her Timberland boots, and the sound of her footsteps forward. She felt Loki by her side and it reassured her. They stepped back out into the clearing, and were met with a surprising sight.

The ship seemed under repair, and the only member of the team still outside was Natasha, who was sharpening a dagger.

She raised an eyebrow at Hel, who winced, knowing that the situation wasn't optimal.

"Sorry," Hel said sheepishly.

Natasha just nodded.

"Fury's inside. You should take that apology to him," she suggested nonchalantly.

Hel felt her face flush, and nodded back.

_Just breathe_, she heard Loki whisper inside her mind, and the shiver which ran down her back was more than just relaxation.

Stepping over the platform of the ship, she turned over her shoulder and addressed the Widow. "Agent Romanov," she began.

"He's not here," Natasha replied to her unspoken question, not looking up from her knife.

Hel swallowed, a ball of guilt and pain inside her throat. She just nodded and turned around to go inside.

Fury was sitting at the table inside, surrounded by the rest of the team, and to Hel's shock, the leader of Muspellsheimr - her father.

"Look who decided to show up!" Fury exclaimed, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"Sorry about that," Hel replied, rubbing her left arm, carefully avoiding looking at the extraterrestrial man at the table.

"We must discuss what is to be done," the deep baritone of an alien voice rumbled. The room seemed to vibrate with the ferocity of his sheer power.

"Nothing is to be done," Hel whispered, for fear that her voice would crack. "I'm not going anywhere."

The leader regarded her with solemn eyes, no doubt reading her mind.

"You cannot be serious," he gasped, not referring to what she had said out loud. Hel's temper flared up - no doubt a lovely gift from the alien being speaking to her at that moment.

"I am deadly serious," she snapped back, meeting his astonished gaze with fiery passion. "And you can't stop me."

She turned and stalked in the direction of the cockpit.

"What just happened?" Tony Stark demanded to know.

"She plans to end herself," the alien leader roared, shock turning into rage.

"What?" Loki hissed, his face changing colour.

"She has set her mind on it," the alien growled.

"I won't allow it," Loki snapped, boiling over with awe-struck anger.

"Who died and made you boss of her life?"

Everyone turned to look at the doorway, where the household American hero in stars and stripes stood.

His face was pale, ashen, but he looked determined. Obviously his previous personal heartbreak had not had as much of an effect on him as assumed.

"The man out of time," Loki mused, sneering. "Shouldn't you be filming a special somewhere?"

"Shouldn't you be degrading another lifeform somewhere?" Steve snapped back, everyone, including him, looking surprised at his aptness.

Loki growled under his breath menacingly and stepped toward him.

"Brother," Thor's voice called threateningly.

Loki visibly bristled at the word, but stepped back.

"Someone needs to locate Agent Batya," Fury sighed, shaking his head.

"I second that," Tony chimed in. "I volunteer."

"Don't bother," Loki snapped. Captain America stepped forward, right up to his face, and whispered, "Yeah. Don't bother."

He looked over Loki's shoulder and saluted the rest of the team.

Mock-saluting Loki, Captain turned on his heel and hurried out without a word.

/

The creature moved through the halls, scanning the structure for lifeforms.

There were a couple in the biggest room, in resting positions by the looks of it. Good. They would not be prepared for the onslaught.

The internal shielding was made of metal alloy. Should not prove too difficult to destroy.

_**Must find half-breed**_, it repeated mentally. _**Find and exterminate**_.

The metallic taste of the guard's blood was still flooding it's mouth as it sauntered forward, soundless, toward the seething, handsome dark-haired man in green.

/

Hel pressed her back against the wall and looked up at the ceiling helplessly. The cockpit was empty at the moment as the pilots were in conference with Agent Smith about extraterrestrial interaction protocol.

How best to end it, though. _Should I drain my blood supply? No, that won't work, I'll regenerate. Starve myself of life energy? That will take far too long... Jump out of the ship while it is in flight? Maybe. An explosion would definitely end it, though. No way all those tiny particles could regenerate._

Willing herself not to cry, Hel counted the tiles in the ceiling, marvelling at the smooth darkness of them. So... dark... The complex interlacing of their artwork was so deep. The depth itself called to her, enticed her, seduced her. _Find your darkness_, it caressed. _Find it, embrace it, go to bed with it_. But what did that mean? How does one go to bed with darkness? Hel strained to see the answer, but the tiles remained in place, back to normal.

"Hel," a masculine voice said quietly.

Her eyes snapped open and she whirled her head to see Steve, her flaming hair whipping around the side of her face.

"Oh, no," she whispered unwittingly, and clapped a hand over her mouth. Her head shook of its own accord and her body screamed at her to flee.

"Hel, I'm... it's alright," he whispered reassuringly, but the slight painful tinge around his eyes gave him away.

"Oh, Steve," she whispered back, a sob in her voice.

He strode forward and put his arms around her, feeling the racking of her sobs, kissing her hair.

"All I seem to do lately is cry," her muffled voice said, laughing shakily.

"Crying is fine," he said gruffly, blushing slightly and holding her tighter.

"I should be stronger than this," Hel insisted, pulling away slightly, grimacing, but looking up at Steve.

"This doesn't mean you aren't strong, Hel," Steve whispered back, one finger under her chin. "It means you've been strong for too long."

Then he smiled at her, and slowly, she smiled back.

/

_Hel_, Loki projected desperately.

Oh, Hel. Loki thought about her now, brought her to the innermost forefront of his mind. Sweet, flawed, ingenious, extraordinary, beautiful Hel.

_Her laugh like crystals colliding; her hair, flaming and fading, shaking as she laughs at something Loki whispers inside her mind, something extremely rude about Fury which he shouldn't be saying, but says anyways because he's Loki - her beloved Loki._

Loki pictured this, himself, beloved of Hel, and the ice around his heart melted a tiny bit.

_Where are you, Hel_?

Then the thought processes of someone - or something - else flooded his mind and his scream was only muffled by his gasp of anguish.


End file.
